Zelda & Impa: Hyrule's Long Night
by carlosm2600
Summary: As Link traveled around Hyrule in search of the Spiritual Stones, Princess Zelda waited for the events in her vision to come true. On that fateful night when the evil Ganondorf stormed Hyrule Castle, Zelda and Impa-her Sheikah companion-must flee. This story portrays the beginning of Zelda's new journey away from the castle, starting on that long stormy night.


The young Princess Zelda wasn't sure how long she and Impa had been riding for, but she knew that they weren't close to home anymore.

That is...if she still had a home.

For all she knew, Hyrule Castle might have already fallen.

The corridors that she grew up running around, much to the chagrin of the castle staff, could be swarming with revolting monsters.

Her mother's personal garden-a small piece of land separate from the grounds that Hyrule's greenest thumbs tended to-which she cultivated the rarest of flowers in before she fell ill would now be teeming with hordes of horrifying ReDead.

Her father's throne, the one that she would climb and sit on when no one was looking, would now support Ganondorf, that evil man she saw in the courtyard many months ago.

That was the same day she met _him_.

Link…

"Impa," she said, breaking the silence that had traveled with them since they left Castle Town.

Impa didn't hear her.

"Impa!" she yelled, attempting to project her voice over the violent storm and the racing hooves of Rhiannon, the Royal Steed given to Impa as a gift from the King, bred by the jaded-yet-talented Talon at Lon Lon Ranch.

Impa still didn't hear her.

"IMPA!"

Slightly surprised by the power in the Princess's roar, Impa, her Sheikah companion, protector, and friend, leaned in close to her ear.

"Yes, Princess?" she said, in a calm, almost soothing voice that drowned out the elements around them.

Zelda lifted her head and turned to look over her left shoulder back at Impa and said, "Did you see the fairy boy?"

Impa, focused on navigating the night in front of her, responded.

"Yes."

Zelda closed her eyes, replaying the night in her head.

Hyrule's Royal daughter was in her room getting her hair brushed as she played with the Keaten doll that her father had given her two days ago.

Suddenly, Impa burst into the room and reached for Zelda.

"Princess, we must leave!"

Zelda knew this day would come, but she didn't think it'd be so soon.

She wasn't ready yet.

"Wait!" she shouted, yanking herself away from Impa.

Zelda raced to her bed, dove to her knees, and extended her arm as far as it could go underneath it. She emerged with a beautiful Deku wood box with the crest of the Royal Family carved into it, a stunning display of fine Hylian craftsmanship. She gently placed it on her bed, reached inside, and stuffed the contents in her pocket.

Impa put Zelda on her back as she raced down the long, winding staircase.

Zelda normally enjoyed it when Impa carried her on her back throughout the courtyard. Impa was tall so Zelda could easily see the tops of the soldier's funny helmets.

But this was different.

Impa zoomed past a legion of confused soldiers, rhythmically marching towards an enemy that even they were unprepared for.

Zelda remembered how wide-eyed they were. She remembered how heavy they were breathing, their deep exhales conjuring small white clouds in the cold night sky like magic.

Impa placed her on top of Rhiannon and Zelda pat her head gently as the Sheikah effortlessly climbed the majestic white stallion.

Quickly, they rode towards Hyrule Field.

The sound of swords clashing and men falling traveled through the air towards Zelda's ears. The rain relentlessly fell from the heavens, as if Lake Hylia was scooped up in a giant bottle and dumped on top of Castle Town.

Rhiannon was special.

She was the fastest horse in Hyrule, and certainly the most beautiful, too, Zelda often thought.

Impa and Rhiannon had undeniable chemistry together. They weaved past swarms of Stalchildren and high-stepped around the lifeless bodies of young men who perished protecting her home.

As they inched closer to the drawbridge, the storm grew more turbulent. The air was unnervingly icy and the thunder boomed even stronger, like a million Bombchus exploding at once from above.

Rhiannon stopped suddenly, nearly throwing the Princess and Impa off her back.

Zelda looked up and froze.

There waited Ganondorf, sitting on top of his shadowy horse, a breathtaking beast outfitted in brilliant Gerudo-made armor.

Even with minimal torchlight illuminating the area, Zelda could see his face; his smirk staring right at her.

Trusting Impa's guidance, Rhiannon darted towards the drawbridge, her strong legs covering more ground with each stride than Zelda thought was possible.

The Princess turned around to confirm what she already knew: Ganondorf was riding behind them, chasing them as they fled.

She gave Castle Town one last look.

She knew it would be a long time before she would be able to return.

It was all on fire now.

The Happy Mask Shop, the Bazaar, all of it.

Engulfed in flames.

Zelda's heart shattered at the thought of the stray dogs that roamed the back alleys hiding behind jars, trying to go unnoticed by the denizens of monsters that now patrolled the streets.

She would sometimes go down there at night to play with them, even though her father was less than pleased that the Princess of Hyrule traversed through the shadows at night. But Impa was always watching, close enough to act if needed, but she remained invisible to give the curious Princess her space and freedom, things that princesses typically don't get much of.

She soaked in that last look at her home and then focused forward.

As they crossed the drawbridge over the moat, ineffective in Hyrule Castle's most important battle, she saw a twinkling ball of light.

She looked closely, attempting to focus through the inclement weather, and she made out two small wings.

It was a fairy!

Under it stood Link, the boy from the forest that she met in the courtyard-the boy from her vision.

Zelda's intuition, a special gift from Nayru according to her mother, told her that this brief reunion was no accident.

Link must have found all three Spiritual Stones!

She knew it to be true.

Or, at least, she hoped.

Zelda reached into her pocket and pulled out the only item she brought with her, the special artifact that she kept in the box under her bed.

She quickly unwrapped the soft cloth and examined what was inside.

She held the Ocarina of Time, softly running her thumb across the side of the sacred instrument, a relic secretly passed down from generation to generation within the Royal Family.

It was her most prized possession.

Her mother, the Queen of Hyrule, had given it to her privately in the courtyard after the big feast held every year to honor the goddesses many moons ago.

The King was supposed to be there, too, but he apparently had too much Lon Lon Milk and it made him dizzy until he fell into a deep sleep.

She explained to Zelda that this wasn't an ordinary ocarina. Songs played on the Ocarina of Time could bring rain, turn day into night, or even teleport whomever was playing it.

The instrument was to stay within the family. It was their job to protect it because, if placed in the wrong hands, the Ocarina of Time's magic could be used to bring inescapable darkness to Hyrule forever.

Then, before handing it over, her mother put the Ocarina of Time to her soft lips and played the peaceful lullaby that made Zelda feel like she was floating.

"This Ocarina is now yours, Zelda," the Queen said. "You mustn't give it to anyone outside of our family."

"I won't" Zelda answered, eager to hold it in her hands.

"We must safeguard this treasure," her mother began, placing the Ocarina of Time in the Princess's palms, "until the Hero of Time is ready to claim it and defend the realm with it.

But you don't have to worry about that. Hyrule won't need the Hero of Time anytime soon," she said, kissing her daughter on top of her blond hair.

Zelda didn't hear the last part. She had already begun playing it.

Her heart raced and she squeezed the Ocarina of Time tighter. She took a deep breath and launched the heirloom into the night sky towards Link.

Just as she was certain that Ganondorf was the person she had to protect the Ocarina of Time _from_, Zelda was sure that Link was the person she was protecting it _for_.

She hurled it in his direction, looking back at Hyrule's last hope-a fairy boy-silently praying to the goddesses to guide him on his upcoming quest.

Zelda opened her eyes, red and swollen from the emotions of the night. At some point, she started crying, but she couldn't remember exactly when. To her surprise, she could see the sun starting to appear from behind a distant mountain range.

The orange glow of the sun, a fiery representation of Din's love, didn't illuminate the sky quite like it normally did.

Ganondorf's darkness had already begun to sweep over Hyrule; his evil power was even stronger than she had anticipated.

Zelda knew that this was just the start.

"It's time to rest," said Impa, slowing Rhiannon down to a light gallop.

They came to a stop and Impa dismounted. Zelda, still on Rhiannon's back, observed the landscape around her. Behind her were the tallest trees she'd ever seen and in front of her, on the other side of the stream, was a large stone wall taller than the Temple of Time.

Zelda didn't know where they were. She didn't spend much time beyond Hyrule Castle Town, only making a handful of trips beyond its limits.

Impa took her to Lake Hylia several times for fishing lessons. Her most interesting adventure was to Zora's Domain. Her father had business with King Zora so she came along to meet his daughter, Princess Ruto-an enthusiastic, if not spoiled, girl around Zelda's age.

"For now, we rest during the day and travel at night, Princess," said Impa, lifting Zelda off the horse and placing her on a soft patch of dirt.

Impa patted Rhiannon on the head and guided her to the stream. The horse had been through more than Impa had initially planned for, but she had to be sure they were far away from Ganondorf's reach.

Zelda couldn't see Death Mountain from their camp.

Normally, on her trips, if she didn't know where she was or how close or far she was from home, she'd look for Death Mountain. Seeing the halo of fluffy white clouds surround the top of the mountain eased her.

Interestingly enough, the stillness of their secret camp also eased her. It was calm, with a silence only interrupted by the occasional_ ribbit_ from a frog and the sound of water crashing against the rocks.

Impa began to light a fire.

"Dry off over here, Princess."

Zelda walked over, shivering from her wet clothes, soaked by the rain. She stood next to the fire and let the heat wrap itself around her.

Impa began to set up a tent.

"Do you believe in him?" asked Zelda.

"I do, Princess," said Impa without looking up from the half-assembled tent.

"Now what? My visions never showed me this part."

"What do you think we should do, Princess?"

Triumphantly, Zelda exclaimed "well...we have to help Link!"

"I agree, Princess" Impa said.

"I just don't know how. We can't go back the Castle Town to help him fight monsters or Ganondorf."

"We wait for him to call upon us, Princess. When that moment comes, you, Princess, will be ready to cast out the darkness that plagues this realm. "

"What do you mean? I don't know how to do that."

"Think of the Triforce, Princess. There are three parts-the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Courage, and the Triforce of Wisdom. You represent something bigger than all of us, Princess. You are vital to this story just like the Great King of Evil and the fairy boy are, too. It's your destiny!"

"We should start getting ready then!"

_HAHAHAHA_

Impa let out a huge belly laugh.

"You truly are a hero, aren't you, Princess? You need to get some rest first. You've done your part for now. You've endured the long night. You can't defeat Ganondorf if you're tired. Tomorrow we start."

For the first time, Zelda realized how exhausted she was.

She had no energy left in her body. Her face was sore from crying and her head pounded.

"OK," obliged Zelda.

She lumbered over to the tent and crawled inside.

Zelda moved a white and blue bundle of clothes off to the side and collapsed onto the bedroll, her eyelids growing increasingly heavy by the second. She began to drift away to some much-needed sleep, soaking in the sounds of the world outside her tent.

The flow of water, the light _whoosh_ of the wind, and the crackling of the fire all brought her some semblance of peace.

As Princess Zelda succumbed to her fatigue, the gentle sound of a harp guided her towards her dreams.


End file.
